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2 Jul 2015

PHOTOS: President Buhari and VP Osinbajo meets House of Reps members; ...moves to resolve crisis

President Muhammadu Buhari, and his deputy, Yemi Osinbajo, late Wednesday met with members of the crises ridden House of Representatives as he begins personal effort to resolve the leadership tussle in the House.

Most of the Members in attendance belonged to the Femi Gbajabiamila camp.

Gbajabiamila is locked in a battle with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, over the selection of party members for the remaining posts of principal officers in the House.

The former Minority Leader, who had lost the contest for the speaker's position to Dogara, has also seen his attempt to clinch the Majority Leader's post resisted in spite of being the choice of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Gbajabiamila led a 30-man team which included Honourable Mohammed Monguno who was defeated in the race for the Deputy Speaker of the House.

Senator Abu Ibrahim, representing Katsina South Senatorial District, was the only senator in the team.

However, the points of discussion later made available to State House correspondents showed that APC caucus members assured the president that they had faithfully and loyally followed the directives of the party to vote for Gbajabiamila and Mongunu as Speaker and Deputy Speaker while 39 other APC members colluded with the opposition Party, the PDP, to elect the current Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

They recalled that party directive was based on the mock primaries conducted for all all aspirants to the two positions, saying, "Whereas the candidates of the majority (Gbajabiamila and Mongunu) openly congratulated the winners and continued to cooperate with them in the House, the opposition and the 39 APC members continued to hold the APC leadership in contempt.

"Whereas we the 174 party faithful and loyalists had been obedient to the party, what shall be the reward of our loyalty to the party? "The party has chosen not to punish the 39 APC members including the elected Speaker and Deputy Speaker, but chose to direct, as it is customary and conventional, on how the other four principal officers should be distributed. Alas! The opposition and the 39 members continue to hold the ruling party in contempt by disobeying the party."

The group dismissed the argument of the need to satisfy Federal Character in the allocation of the principal officers posts, noting that precedence existed where it had been ignored.